It’s been a busy week of announcements for London’s Mayor, Ken Livingstone, with two major new schemes planned to help combat the city’s carbon emissions. On Monday we heard of plans to introduce a bicycle hire scheme similar to the popular Parisian Velo scheme. Forming part of a £500 million investment in cycling over the next 10 years the scheme will see 6000 bicycles available for hire across the city.
On Tuesday came the announcement that from October 27th gas-guzzling 4×4s and sports cars will be charged a whooping £25 a day to drive in Central London whilst cars with the lowest CO2 emissions will be able to travel freely.
Definitely two big steps in the right direction but with an election coming up on May 1st what do the other candidates have in mind for the environment should they get the job of Lord Mayor. Yesterday all four candidates outlined their environmental agendas should they win the public vote:
- Sian Berry – Green Party
- Free insulation in every home
- Cut the price of public transport
- Triple the cycling budget and boost walking
- Boost local and micro generation, boost self-sufficiency
- Close City Airport
- Reject the Thames Gateway motorway bridge
- Boris Johnston – Conservative Party
- Boost recycling and clamp down on fly tipping
- Clean up fuel used in buses, encourage hybrids
- Stop the engulfing of green spaces by buildings
- Encourage people, including government to turn off lights
- Insulate buildings
- Boost wind, solar and combined heat and power
- Ken Livingstone – Labour Party
- Move to make bus fleet hybrid by 2012
- retrofit all public buildings to cut carbon
- Gear every policy to cut carbon emissions
- Encourage people to change to low carbon lifestyles
- Radically improve London’s air quality
- Expand low emissions zone to more vehicles
- Brian Paddick – Liberal Democrats
- Develop local High Streets so people shop locally
- Drop lowest emission car conjestion charge exemption
- Move people closer to their jobs to cut commuting
- Alter the low emissions zone to help small firms survive
- Build a tram network to replace buses
- Put £10 conjestion charge on all of Greater London
Alll four candidates said they would fight a third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow airport and get rid of bottled water from City Hall because of it’s carbon footprint.
